Northern Iowa vs Valparaiso 1/5/22 College Basketball Picks, Predictions, Odds
Valparaiso Beacons (8-6) vs. Northern Iowa Panthers (5-7)
January 5, 2022 9:00 pm EDT
The Line: Northern Iowa Panthers -7.5 / Valparaiso Beacons +7.5; Over/Under: +136
(Get latest betting odds)
The Valparaiso Beacons and the Northern Iowa Panthers meet in college basketball action from the McLeod Center on Wednesday night.
The Valparaiso Beacons will look to build on an 81-76 win over Illinois State in their last game. Kobe King’s tallied 15.2 PPG in five games while Ben Krikke has 15.3 PPG in 11 games for the Beacons this season. Sheldon Edwards has 12.2 PPG and Trevor Anderson’s got 10.7 PPG with a team-high 2.9 APG to lead Valpo in assists and Thomas Kithier has 10.1 PPG with a team-high 6.5 RPG and Kevion Taylor’s also adding 10.3 PPG to make up the group of double-digit scorers for Valparaiso while also leading the Beacons on the glass. As a team, Valparaiso is averaging 74.6 PPG on 47.3% shooting from the field, 34.4% from three and 75% from the foul line while allowing 67.1 PPG on 42.7% shooting from the field and 34% from three this season.
The Northern Iowa Panthers will try to build on their 83-61 win over Evansville last time out. AJ Green leads the Panthers in scoring with 17 PPG while Noah Carter has 11.8 PPG and Nate Heise has 10.8 PPG and 4.9 RPG to cap off the trio of double-digit scorers for UNI this season. Trae Berhow has 9 PPG and a team-high 5 RPG to lead the Panthers on the glass while Austin Phyfe has 8.3 PPG this season. As a team, Northern Iowa is averaging 72.3 PPG on 45.3% shooting from the field, 35.8% from three and 72.6% from the foul line while allowing 68.3 PPG on 43.6% shooting from the field and 33.7% from three this season.
Valparaiso is 2-8 ATS in their last 10 games following a win and 0-4 ATS in their last 4 road games against a team with a losing home record while the over is 4-0 in their last 4 games following a win. Northern Iowa is 1-7 ATS in their last 8 home games and 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games following a win while the over is 4-0 in their last 4 Wednesday games.
I get the Panthers being favored at home, but I’m not agreeing with the line. Northern Iowa just hasn’t done well against the number at home this season and I’m not about to lay almost double-digits just because. Valparaiso has had some solid performances here and there and I just think this is a spot where the Beacons keep it within the number. Give me Valparaiso and the points here.
